Prepositions of place and time (at, in, on)

Prepositions of place

In general, we say:
• at a POINT
• in an ENCLOSED SPACE
• on a SURFACE

at POINT in ENCLOSED SPACE on SURFACE

at the bottom of the

in a box on the page
page

at the bus stop in a building on the carpet

at the corner in a car on the ceiling

at the crossroads in France on the cover

at the door in my pocket on the door

at the end of the path in my wallet on the floor

at the entrance in Paris on the menu

at the front desk in the garden on the wall

Here are some examples:

• Do you live in Italy?

• I have a meeting in Birmingham next week.
• I live on the 6th floor in the flats at 21 High Street in Portbury.

• My train arrived at the main station in Liverpool and departed for Manchester
after a 5 minute wait.
• Peter is waiting for you at the cinema.
• Someone has spilt wine on this menu.
Prepositions of place and time (at, in, on)

• Susan works in an office.

• The church is at the end of the street on the right.
• The Earth is in the Solar System.
• The title is on the cover of the book.
• There are spotlights on the wall.
• When will you arrive at the hotel?
• You are standing on his foot.

Notice the use of at, in and on in these standard expressions:

at in on

at home in a car on a bus

at work in a taxi on a train

at school in a helicopter on a plane

at university in a boat on a ship

in a lift on a bicycle,
at college
in an elevator on a motorbike

at the top in the newspaper on a horse, on a camel

at the bottom in the sky on the radio, on television

at the side in a row on the left, on the right

at reception in Oxford Street on the way

In general when we talk about travelling in a small vehicle (car, taxi, helicopter...), we
use “in”
When we travel in a large vehicle (bus, plane, ship...), we use “on”.

Travelling on animals, and vehicles which we ride similarly to a horse, we use “on”.
Prepositions of place and time (at, in, on)

Prepositions of time

We use:
• at a PRECISE TIME
• in MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS
• on DAYS and DATES

in MONTHS, YEARS,
at PRECISE TIME CENTURIES and LONG on DAYS and DATES
PERIODS

at 3 o'clock in May on 25 Dec. 2010

at 10.30am in summer on 6 March

at noon in the summer on Christmas Day

at dinnertime in 1990 on Independence Day

at bedtime in the 1990s on my birthday

at sunrise in the next century on New Year's Eve

at sunset in the Ice Age on Sunday

at the moment in the past/future on Tuesdays

Here are some examples:

• Do you think we will go to Mars in this century?
• Do you work on Mondays?
• Her birthday is on 20th November.
• I have a meeting at 10.30 am.
• In Norway, it often snows in December.
• The supermarket closes at midnight.
• There will be many political problems in this century.
• Where will you be on your birthday?
Prepositions of place and time (at, in, on)

Notice the use of at in the following standard expressions:

Expression Example

at Christmas / Easter I am visiting my parents at Christmas.

at night All cats are grey at night.

at present She’s not in at present.

at the moment I’m watching a video at the moment.

Notice the use of in and on in these common expressions:

in on

in the morning on Tuesday morning(s)

in the mornings on Sunday afternoons

in the afternoon(s) on Monday evening

When we say last, next, every, this we do not also use at, in, on.

• I went to London last June. (not in last June)

• He's coming back next Tuesday. (not on next Tuesday)
• I go home every Easter. (not at every Easter)
• We'll call you this evening. (not on this evening)
 ACTIVITY

Elige la preposición más adecuada entre IN, AT y ON y rellena los espacios.

1. I always brush my teeth ______ the morning.

2. He was born_____ September 24th.
3. I go to the gym_____Mondays and Wednesdays.
4. My interview is_____ 3:00 pm.
5. The football game is_____ the stadium.
6. The papers are_____ the coffee table.
7. It’s always cold _____ winter.
8. I left the keys____ the counter.
9. My birthday is _____ June.
10. The football game is_____ the stadium